Tag Archives: Polydamas butterfly

Another tailless swallowtail

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This afternoon we had number 17 polydamas swallowtail emerge in our butterfly house. It was super eager to be let go . . . did not hang around for a photograph on my finger as many other species do. Their wings flutter so fast, giving me quite a challenge to capture its beauty.

I love the photograph below, as another polydamas chrysalis is in the background. They are easiest to photograph, at least through my experience, shortly after they hatch.

With many other species the female is larger in size. The wingspan for this species is 9.2 to 11.6 centimeters. The coloration is very different from the underside of the wings, as shown below, to that of when the wings are completely open. The black and yellow is very pretty, as well as the splash of red on the underside.

Busy little, big caterpillars

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The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars have certainly been busy in the garden eating the Dutchman pipe almost down to sticks, and traveling long distances to find areas to make its chrysalis.

This polydamas caterpillar traveled pretty far away from its Dutchman pipe. It was blowing in the wind when we found it on the branches.

The mature caterpillars can reach 2.1 inches in length before it starts its chrysalis. They remain in the caterpillar stage, four different instars, from 19 to 24 days to reach that desired length.

The polydamas caterpillar attached to its silken thread on a milkweed plant in the garden. To the right of it is a monarch egg that should hatch any day now, as it is turning a darker color.
Three polydamas chrysalis on a milkweed plant in our butterfly house.

Depending on where they make their chrysalis it will resemble either a green, or brown leaf, as pictured above. We also have chrysalis in the butterfly house that are either on branches or the sides of the house that are brown in color mimicking that dead leaf.

The silken thread is pretty amazing.

The polydamas swallowtail butterfly typically emerges from its chrysalis at about 18 days.

As always, check out my page on polydamas swallowtails: https://bit.ly/3MHVXnb.

Black and yellow

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We had another successful polydamas, gold rim, swallowtail, hatch in our butterfly house this morning. Number 16. We have two more chrysalis in the butterfly house and about eight caterpillars of this species and TONS more in our garden.

Their wing span ranges from 9.2 to 11.6 c.m. and the female is larger than the male. Fun fact from the University of Florida: the male has scent scales hidden on the upper surface of the hind wing in folds.

A true beauty.

Check out: https://bit.ly/3zcSDO6, for additional information about the life cycle of the polydamus swallowtail.